Oba Akiolu advised President Muhammadu Buhari to prevent former President Olusegun Obasanjo from “escaping” from the country once he emerges winner of the February 2019 presidential election.In an interview with Punch, the Lagos monarch said he will do everything within his power to ensure that President Buhari emerges winner in the election and once the results are announced, he will advice the presidnet to immediately put up measures to ensure the former president does not escape from Nigeria.
Oba Akiolu and Obasanjo have been at loggerheads since the era of the Bola Tinubu administration after the former governor and Obasanjo had a fallout that saw the funds meant for the state seized by the Federal government.
Speaking of Obasanjo, Tinubu and Buhari during the interview, Oba Akiolu said
We were all witnesses to the battle Bola Ahmed had with (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo. In his first four years as the President of Nigeria, instead of facing governance, he was busy pursuing Tinubu and coming after Lagos. And that is why Lagos is as strong as it is today. He succeeded in capturing many other states except Lagos. God was with us. All the monarchs and religious leaders stood firm with us. At that time, I even said I would rather lose my life than allow him to capture Lagos. Let me tell you that this coming 2019 election, I will use everything God has endowed me with to appeal to God that Buhari should be elected, because some of those who are throwing their hats into the ring now are not honest people. It will be like a magic, but Buhari will be re-elected. And the very week he’s re-elected, I would announce and encourage him to close the borders so that Obasanjo will not escape.